They are commonly regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement and the punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock genres in general. They are primarily remembered for their singles, a string of would-be hits that combined a strong grasp of pop song craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These singles were collected on Singles Going Steady, described by critic Ned Raggett as a "punk masterpiece" The widely covered "Ever Fallen in Love?" remains one of their best-known songs.
The name "Buzzcocks" partially comes from the Manchester slang term cock meaning youngster, and its use in the 1970s ITV drama serial Rock Follies which included the catch phrases "that's the buzz, cocks" and "give me a buzz, cock!"
Buzzcocks were one of the key first generation British punk rock bands to form in the wake of the Sex Pistols in 1976. They were founded by Mancunians Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto, however Devoto left soon after the group released their Spiral Scratch EP (on their own independent label), leaving Shelley to take over vocals.
They are best known for their catchy, poppy punk sound, which has been widely influential, which was adopted as Peter Shelley took over on the vocals, singing about what the whole punk rock scene opted not to sing about: love. Devoto in the meanwhile formed Magazine.
They rehearsed in a friend's kitchen and played at the all-day 100 club punk "festival", in London. At the end of 1977 the band signed to United Artists and released "Orgasm Addict", with Shelley's high-pitched vocal delivery and Ramones-esque fuzz-guitar sound ensuring the controversial single would be played over again. Later came "What Do I Get?" which hit the UK charts and showed Shelley's brilliance in songwriting.
An LP was then released, Another Music in a Different Kitchen which came with its own carrier bag, labelled "Product". In 1978-79 five chart-hitting singles were released including "Ever Fallen in Love?" and had captured a pop-loving audience by this time. Love Bites, their second LP was released later on, which had less excitement than the last album, though it did sell well, with Steve Diggle taking over lyric-writing.
October 1979 saw A Different Kind of Tension which was panned by some critics, quite unfairly, as it contains some excellent songs, the title track being the stand-out. It perhaps suffered from being the second album to be released that year, with the record company keen to capitalise on the band's chart success at the time.
3 more singles followed in 1980, but the spark had clearly gone out for a while. Musical differences and the long slog behind them led to the band splitting in early 1981. Pete Shelley embarked in a solo career..
He released three dance/electronic influenced solo albums: Homosapien, XL1 and Heaven and The Sea - all with the same fine songwriting skills. Meanwhile, Steve Diggle formed Flag of Convenience - a power pop combo - and toured with some success.
A 5 album/CD set was released in 1989 called Product, which contained all the albums to date, plus the greatest hits and B sides album, Singles Going Steady, and the last non-album singles, Why She's A Girl From the Chainstore, Airwaves Dream and Running Free, plus the B sides
In 1992 the Buzzcocks reformed, without original drummer John Maher and bassist Steve Garvey, and releasd Trade Test Transmissions in 1993, quite different from their earlier material, with nods to the power pop scene popular at the time. All Set in 1996 saw a return to form with familiar riffs and pin sharp lyrics pop-punk. Next year Chronology was released, the missing album, including outtakes from the three United Artists albums. In 1999 they released Modern, which saw Shelley in reflective mode and Steve Diggle taking over more of the vocal duties.
Then followed another brief break in 2000, with Shelley teaming up with old band-mate Howard Devoto to release a largely disappointing album, Buzzkunst. Compilations followed, including Inventory in 2003, which contained every single to date, and 30 in 2005 to celebrate 30 years performing
2005 saw the Buzzcocks back touring and in 2007 they released the superb Flat Pack Philosophy, widely agreed to rank up with the best of Buzzcocks output
2008/9 saw a short tour where the band played tracks from Another Music and Love Bites.
In August 2011 they headlined the first night of The Rhythm Festival in Bedfordshire.
In November 2011 it was announced they would be playing two shows in 2012 that would feature the original line-up as well as the classic line-up of the band reunited for the first time in many years; these shows took place on 25 May 2012 in Manchester at the O2 Apollo and on 26 May in Brixton at the O2 Academy. It was announced on 26 May 2012 that, for the first time, they would headline Thursday night in the Empress Ballroom at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool sharing the stage with the likes of Rancid, Public Image Limited and Social Distortion.
On 1 May 2014 Buzzcocks released the album The Way via PledgeMusic. On 13 September 2014 Buzzcocks played "a brief but triumphant set" at Riot Fest 2014 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In October 2014 Buzzcocks toured the U.K. for three weeks with The Dollyrots as main support.
In 2016, the band embarked on their 40th-anniversary tour (dubbed "Buzzcocks 40"). In 2017, "Why Can't I Touch It" was featured in the opening segment of the Telltale game 'Guardians of the Galaxy.
Buzzcocks continue to be a huge influence on many bands and are still enjoyed by a large, and very loyal, fanbase.
Pete Shelley died on 6 December 2018.
You Know You Can't Help It
Buzzcocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know you can't help undressing her
You know you can't help thinking what shes got
You know you can't help it you just can't help it!
You know you can't help it getting into her
You know you can't help it 'cos she's your world
You know you can't help that sex is good
Sex is known as a screw
A bloody silly thing to do
But anyway we're all
Gonna do it 'cos it's great
You know you can't help whats between her thighs
You know you can't help that honesty lies
You know you can't help what's old but new
You know you can't help it you just can't help it!
Sex was made for you
Causes deaths and murders too
Love makes war it depends
Which side you're on
You know you can't help when something rings true
You know you can't help when touch touches you
You know you can't help that you're stone cold
You know you can't help it you just can't help it!
The Buzzcocks song "You Know You Can't Help It" is a simple yet provocative tune that explores the intense desire one can feel towards someone they are attracted to. The lyrics suggest that this attraction is almost animalistic and impossible to resist. The main chorus of the song repeats the phrase "you know you can't help it" several times, implying that the person singing is aware that their actions cannot be controlled.
The first verse talks about the physical attraction that the person feels towards the girl. It suggests that they cannot help but undress her with their eyes and think about what she might be like in bed. The second verse takes it a step further, implying that the person has actually had sex with the girl and that they are completely consumed by their desire for her. The song goes on to suggest that sex is an innate human desire that we cannot resist, even though it can lead to negative consequences like death and murder.
The final verse suggests that even though the person knows they should control their desires, there are certain things that just feel too true and too real to ignore. They admit to being stone-cold, perhaps suggesting that they are numb to the consequences of their actions.
Overall, the song explores the idea that sexual desire is a powerful force that can consume us and lead us to do things we know we shouldn't. It suggests that this desire is rooted in our biology and cannot be easily controlled or ignored.
Line by Line Meaning
You know you can't help it when you see that girl
You cannot resist the temptation to look at a girl when you see her
You know you can't help undressing her
You can't help having sexual thoughts about her
You know you can't help thinking what she's got
You cannot resist thinking about what she could offer you
You know you can't help it, you just can't help it!
You cannot control your desire for her
You know you can't help it getting into her
You cannot resist the urge to have sex with her
You know you can't help it 'cos she's your world
You cannot resist loving her deeply
You know you can't help that sex is good
You cannot deny that sex is enjoyable
Sex is known as a screw
Sex is often referred to as a meaningless and foolish act
A bloody silly thing to do
It is considered foolish to engage in sex
But anyway we're all gonna do it 'cos it's great
Despite its foolish reputation, everyone wants to engage in sex as it is enjoyable
You know you can't help what's between her thighs
You cannot control your attraction to her genitals
You know you can't help that honesty lies
You cannot resist the temptation to lie to her about your true intentions
You know you can't help what's old but new
You cannot control your desire for something familiar yet new
Sex was made for you
Sexual desire is a natural instinct and part of human nature
Causes deaths and murders too
Sexual desire can sometimes lead to tragic consequences
Love makes war, it depends which side you're on
Love can sometimes cause conflict and disagreements depending on the parties involved
You know you can't help when something rings true
You cannot resist the feeling of truth in something that is said or done
You know you can't help when touch touches you
You cannot control your emotional and physical response to touch
You know you can't help that you're stone cold
You cannot change the fact that you lack emotions or feelings
You know you can't help it, you just can't help it!
You cannot resist your desires and instincts
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DIGGLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind